perhaps bicycles should have to pass an MOT once a year too

...then maybe people wouldn't be riding their bikes around with life-threatening problems like this. Both these bikes were ridden into the shop and their owners did not mention these issues (the bikes were in for other work)

^^ disc brake pads worn so far past the point where they should have been replaced that he's been braking metal to metal for some miles and is now braking piston to metal on one side (how? How can people not notice this? It must have been making a godawful racket, and, well, not stopping at all)

He had been riding this bike around for goodness knows how long completely unaware his fork was broken, I discovered it by taking his front wheel off to change a tyre and it fell apart in my hands.

At least that guy had something to brake with - I'm regularly gobsmacked at the number of bikes chained-up outside my work with no working breaks whatsoever. Broken cables mostly and some folk have been going to and fro on in this state for ages.

Well, "meh" until you need to stop as quickly as possible, and then it'll be "goodbye bicycle!" as you fly over the handlebars and (if you're really lucky) land on your chin, break your jaw and lose a few teeth.
That'll leave you thinking "I really should have spent the whole 10 minutes it would have taken, to sort my back brake out". Of course, you won't be saying it out loud, because your gob will be wired shut while your jaw heals.

Just brought a bike off e bay with front suspension and disc brakes suddenly realize no nothing about how to maintain them or even any
warning signs of impending problems.Anyone know a good site or should Ijust Google this stuff?

Happened to a mate. Broke his lower jaw into four pieces, lost 3 teeth outright and had another 7 "die". All because he hadn't bothered to put new brake-blocks on. Virtually every visitor to his bedside started the visit with "you twat". We weren't sure what he replied, but I think it might have been "fuck off, you unsympathetic cunts".

Perhaps, when looking to figure out how to make our roads safer we should look at what causes the death in injuries on the roads and then take action accordingly.

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Perhaps instead of derailing this one, you could go and wake-up one of the many, many, many other threads on just this subject? The most recent of which won't be too far off the top of the boards as it was only a couple of weeks ago.

As I was telling my young colleague today as we were putting on our waterproofs, I used to wear shoes with so many holes, they were actually lined with porridge oat bags.
Part of the reason the soles were so full of holes was that my cheap back wheels were almost always in a state of progressive collapse - one spoke at a time, and I rode them beyond the point where I could rely on just opening up the brake calipers to the maximum setting.
My tyres, as I only discovered 20 years on when I bought a track pump, were about 70 percent inflated, and I rarely had more than a few functioning gears.

...then maybe people wouldn't be riding their bikes around with life-threatening problems like this. Both these bikes were ridden into the shop and their owners did not mention these issues (the bikes were in for other work)

^^ disc brake pads worn so far past the point where they should have been replaced that he's been braking metal to metal for some miles and is now braking piston to metal on one side (how? How can people not notice this? It must have been making a godawful racket, and, well, not stopping at all)

He had been riding this bike around for goodness knows how long completely unaware his fork was broken, I discovered it by taking his front wheel off to change a tyre and it fell apart in my hands.

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I'm sure you see a lot of shit in your bike shop, I doubt it gives the clearest of views. Mostly the clueless or the hyper bikers take them in to shops.
I don't think I have ever had to take a bike to a shop (apart from when I burst a tyre a few meters from a shop on the way to work - hummm - )
A lot of bikers do know how to set up and maintain the relatively simple workings of a bike I think. I'm not doing bike shops down, and if I was more hardcore and had more hardcore bikes I think I would be in more often (than never).

I was on a ride a while back with your average sensible middle-aged CTC member - "I have my bike professionally serviced" he said. My feeling was he would have been stuck if anything had gone wrong in the meantime - I suspect he would never even adjust the brakes.

If a dozen people turn up for a CTC ride, I doubt more than a couple of people have a reasonable range of tools - i.e chain breaker or even a 5mm allen key... they assume that someone will be able to help them out. Thankfully a lot of their bikes are remarkably under-used.

I set up a project called re-cycle with the polliss and a group of kids a few years back where we taught them bike maintenance. There are millions of kids bikes in back yards with simple problems preventing them from being ridden. The tip is absolutely full of bikes every weekend with fuck all really wrong with them

Just brought a bike off e bay with front suspension and disc brakes suddenly realize no nothing about how to maintain them or even any
warning signs of impending problems.Anyone know a good site or should Ijust Google this stuff?

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If they're hydraulic discs they generally need less maintenance than cable rim or discs (although arguably more hassle when they do go wrong). Depends how much/what type of riding you do as to whether you want to learn how to strip and rebuild forks (or disc systems) or just get them serviced by a good LBS if you don't want the trouble.

Good fork/brake manufacturers tend to be happy to supply very detailed service manuals and spare parts online if you fancy DIY. An adjustable work stand is worthwhile if you plan to be doing a lot of offroad riding and the inevitable repair work it brings.

There's usually videos on Youtube.
Bleeding hydraulics is a right faff, but centering and adjusting pads is easier than rim brakes if they're anything like my BB7 mechanicals - the 5mm screws are the same.

A lot. I mean, a lot. Those two just happened to be comically extreme enough that I was moved to take a photo. Every day, brake pads worn down to the metal so they're ripping the rim to pieces, rims worn to the point where they've exploded under the pressure of the tyre, chains so worn you can't put any pressure through the pedals without it slipping off the teeth suddenly, seatposts up so far past their limit mark there's only an inch clamped in the frame and the frame and/or post has bent... headsets people have assembled themselves with bits upside down, brake blocks they've fitted themselves so they're hitting the tyre... a lot.

I actually sort of measured a chain for the first time last weekend instead of waiting until the whole lot needed replacing. I hung it up alongside a new one - bloody hell. Not sure how knackered it is, but I doubt it'll be going back on. Luckily must have done it in time because the new one sits fine on the cassette.
10 weeks / 1000 miles .. £15 = £1.50 a week ...

A lot. I mean, a lot. Those two just happened to be comically extreme enough that I was moved to take a photo. Every day, brake pads worn down to the metal so they're ripping the rim to pieces, rims worn to the point where they've exploded under the pressure of the tyre, chains so worn you can't put any pressure through the pedals without it slipping off the teeth suddenly, seatposts up so far past their limit mark there's only an inch clamped in the frame and the frame and/or post has bent... headsets people have assembled themselves with bits upside down, brake blocks they've fitted themselves so they're hitting the tyre... a lot.

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Is it laziness, ignorance or just techno-fear? I mean we used to learn all this stuff (full bike maintenance) as teens, first on your Raleigh Ways-a-ton, and then on whatever "racer" you managed to pick up.

I'm sure you see a lot of shit in your bike shop, I doubt it gives the clearest of views. Mostly the clueless or the hyper bikers take them in to shops.
I don't think I have ever had to take a bike to a shop (apart from when I burst a tyre a few meters from a shop on the way to work - hummm - )
A lot of bikers do know how to set up and maintain the relatively simple workings of a bike I think. I'm not doing bike shops down, and if I was more hardcore and had more hardcore bikes I think I would be in more often (than never).

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Not sure I agree with that. I can do minor maintainace, like repair punctures, replace brake blocks and cables, adjust gears and replace cables. However overhauling a hub or replacing bearings in a headset are beyond me, so I'll go to a bike shop. I don't think I'm either clueless or a hyperbiker.

In my late teens / early 20s I used to strip and rebuild motorcycles, I even replaced the cylinders and pistons in my Reliant car engine, but my early cycling days (20-something years) are a blur in terms of even fixing brakes and gears, and even 4 years ago I used to take my bike to the shop when it had all gone wrong and hand over £200 rather than buy the specialist tool and do it myself.

It took me to start doing group rides for me to start taking it seriously - that and not wanting ever to break down on the side of the road or be without my bike for even a day.
My steerer rusting through and putting me in casualty was a key moment.

Basic maintenance is something I almost look forward to - usually 10am on a Saturday - I would be out there now if it wasn't raining.